This invention relates to a toy, particularly for pre-school children, and, specifically, a toy pick-up vehicle for picking up playing objects off of a supporting surface such as a floor or the like.
Toy vehicles, particularly in the form of trucks having receptacle beds, have provided considerable enjoyment and play time for pre-school children throughout the years. The child uses the trucks for loading blocks and other objects thereinto, as well as for use in sandboxes and the like. This invention is directed to providing a novel pick-up vehicle which has the means for automatically picking up playing objects and depositing them into a receptable on the vehicle as the vehicle moves over a supporting surface.
More particularly, in the exemplary embodiment of the invention, a plurality of block-shaped playing objects are provided for positioning upon a supporting surface, such as a floor or the like. A toy vehicle in the form of a truck is provided for automatically picking up the playing objects and depositing the objects into a receptacle on the truck as the truck is moved over the supporting surface and over the playing objects. The vehicle, in the form of a pick-up truck, includes a front simulated passenger portion with a pair of front wheels rotatably mounted therebeneath. A rear open-top receptacle or bed portion of the truck is provided with a pair of rear wheels rotatably mounted therebeneath. A segmented paddle wheel is mounted on an axle between the front wheels for rotation therewith. A direct opening is provided between the paddle wheel and the rear vehicle receptacle or bed, with a lower deflector member extending beneath the body portion in close proximity to the supporting surface. The front of the passenger portion of the pick-up truck terminates above the supporting surface a sufficient distance for the playing objects to pass therebeneath and into engagement with the paddle wheel whereupon the paddle wheel, on rotation, directs the playing objects rearwardly into the receptacle or bed of the truck. In the exemplary embodiment, the paddle wheel is substantially fabricated of resilient spongy material and the playing objects block-shaped end of a size so as to be grasped by the paddle wheel to move the playing objects into the truck bed.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.